OUT TO PASTOR: Life does have its compensations – occasionally

At times, it seems as if there is absolutely no justice in this world, and then something wonderful happens making up for almost everything. This past week I was fortunate enough to experience one of those rare jewels of life.

I must say not all weeks are like this. My weeks usually range from bad to worse to when will this ever stop?

A normal week for me is when I take two steps forward and get run over by a car. Or, just when I think I’m caught up, I discover I’ve been working on last week’s to-do list.

Not that I’m complaining because complaining never gets anywhere in life. At least, no place I want to go. A man who complains aloud is a man who is not married. Wives have a way of turning their husband’s complaining into “Well, its your own fault.” It’s amazing how this one phrase can cover a multitude of sins.

So, I’m not complaining, I’m just musing on my life and celebrating a great event this week.

I got home on Tuesday and the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage was not there. I made myself a cup of coffee and got comfortable in my easy chair to rest from the labors of the day.

A good cup of Joe goes a long way to smooth the rough edges of any day. No sooner was I settled than the telephone rang. It was my wife.

“Are you home yet?” she said in a very meek and quiet voice. From the tone of her voice, I knew something wasn’t exactly right.

For a moment, I was tempted to answer her question in the negative. But then I do value my life. I knew the question was rhetorical and was not the reason for her calling. Something was up.

“Could you come over to the church right now?” she asked.

I had just settled in my easy chair and was a little reluctant to extricate myself from my comfort zone. I could, but I wondered why she wanted me to come over. It wasn’t my birthday so I knew it was not a surprise party. It wasn’t our anniversary. And as far as I knew I was not in any trouble, which in itself does not rule out my being in trouble.

“Why,” I queried.

“I just need you to come over here right now, pleeease.”

When my wife says “pleeease,” I know there’s a very good reason for it. Namely, she is in trouble and needs my assistance. Granted, this is a rare occurrence.

“Is there something wrong? Are you all right?” I asked.

“Well,” she hesitated, “I think I locked my keys in the car.”

Life does not get any better than this.

Often this situation has been reversed. I cannot tell how many times when I called home the first thing she says to me is, “Did you run out of gas?” Or, “Did you lock yourself out of your car?”

It’s not so much what she says as how sarcastically she says it.

Out of every 100 calls I make home I would say 95 of them fit into either one of those categories very nicely. It has come to the point where I dread calling home. Then she usually concludes the telephone conversation with, “I can’t see how anybody can run out of gas or lock their keys in the car as often as you do.”

Now the sock was on the other foot. My Beloved, who chides me so often about losing my keys or locking my keys in the car, has now done the same thing herself. Isn’t life great?

“Let me see if I understand this,” I said as sarcastically as I possibly could without bursting into hysterical laughter, “you locked your keys in the car?”

A hushed “yes,” drifted through the phone line.

“Excuse me,” I said rather haughtily, “I didn’t quite hear you.”

The responsive “yes” pierced the telephone and almost knocked me on my seat. “I locked my keys in the car… are you happy?” she snapped.

I was.

Whether it was my imagination or not, somehow I felt her eyes bore into my soul and I knew even though it was her mistake, I was in trouble. This is just the way life is.

However, such trouble is more delicious than two scoops of raisins in every box. It has been a long time since I have enjoyed an errand as much as I did going over to the church and unlocking my wife’s car door for her.

Being the gentleman I am, I didn’t say anything but I sure did smile a lot. She, being the gracious lady she is, didn’t say anything but glared a lot.

I enjoyed it all.

That evening during supper and after supper, she was rather quiet. I was sporting a snickering smile all evening.

Finally, she said, “All right, go ahead have your laugh.”

And I did.

As a Christian, I have discovered not every day is what you might call a good day. God has a marvelous way of keeping tabs on all of this.

The verse that brings comfort and encouragement in this area is Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Occasionally, life gives you a moment that compensates for every other moment in your life.

Dr. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God Fellowship, 1471 Pine Road, Ocala, FL 34472. He lives with his wife in Silver Springs Shores. Call him at 352-687-4240 or e-mail jamessnyder2@att.net. The church web site is www.whatafellowship.com.